“I don’t know. I assume when the next Warden shows. Not that you aren’t strong enough to bring her back. I just think that the power of Earth is the only way she can be revived successfully.”
“How do we do it? How do we bring her back?”
“We will have to go to her grave. Meaning, we have a road trip in our future. I cannot tell you when though, Dawn. As much as I want to, that is one thing that remains uncertain.” He reached out and touched my shoulders.
“Who is Earth?” I gently enquired.
“Her name is Helen Price. She lived in Midvale a few years ago. Came here to save someone when they cried out for help.” He gave me a smile. “She’s a great girl.”
“I know who she is,” I said, my voice cracking. “She saved Adam.”
“Who’s Adam?”
“My best friend,” I answered. It was true. Adam was my best friend, and there was no denying it. He had been there for me through anything and everything.
“How do you know she was here for him?” Nick asked.
“He told me.”
“Well, isn’t this interesting?” he said softly, almost to himself.
“I’m worn out, so I think I’m going to bed now,” I told him. “I think we have a pretty busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I agree. I have to find the water Warden still. It’s a tedious business.” He stretched.
I turned to leave the room.
“We will get him back, Dawn.”
I gave him a hopeful smile. All I wanted was to make sure that Wesley was okay. Our brief conversation had in no way put my mind at ease.
“Thanks,” I said, shutting the bedroom door behind me, and going to my room, where I fell face first on the bed.
I fell asleep in my clothes that night. I couldn’t even pull together enough motivation to put on my pajamas.
****
“Dawn?” a familiar voice called from the darkness.
“Krista?”
“I see you have met the Prophet.” She laughed as she emerged slowly in solid form before me.
“He’s an odd boy,” I said, transfixed by her beauty. Tonight, she had gone all out with a long white dress.
“He will get us to where we need to be. I called you here because I have news of your Wesley.”
My heart pounded.
“They are near the Mexican border. Miranda has been doing more recruiting over the last few weeks.”
“How do you know this?”
“I followed John without him knowing.”
She had a look of excitement to her that caused her complexion to glow.
“Is Wesley okay?” I asked as my heart began to pound in my ears.
“He’s alive. Though he doesn’t look like he can take much more, he’s sick, Dawn. Each day makes him weaker. She takes so much from him yet doesn’t allow him to replenish it. She has plans of turning him, but she’s messing with him worse than she ever messed with John.” She gave me a look of pity and folded her hands together nervously.
“We have to hurry!” I felt like my soul was falling apart. As each day passed, Wesley was moving closer and closer to his death.
“We can only go so fast, Dawn. There are just the three of us right now. We need Water to be at full power, and even then, we need Carriers to stand with us.” She reached out and touched my face. “We will save him, Dawn.”
“I’ve heard that twice today,” I muttered, looking into her blue eyes.
“Then just believe. Nick will find our water Warden. Helen will be here sooner than you think, and then we will all be together.”
“I cannot wait to bring you back,” I said with tears in my eyes.
She smiled.
“I don’t know if I remember what it is like to be whole anymore. Being transparent has been my only physical form for so long.”
She glanced around in the darkness.
“Thank you for finding things out for me.”
“You would do the same for me if it were John,” she replied.
“What are we going to do about him?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet. There is still that goodness in him that I loved. But it’s buried deep in there, so I can only hope he can change.” She sighed.
“He’s done some horrendous things. We don’t know how many he stole innocence from.”
“I know. Everything he did is because another was controlling him. They have a blood bond that is so deep she can possess his body at any point and make him do things he would not normally do.” She took a step back. “I have to go now. I hope to see you in the flesh on our next visit.”
“I do as well, Krista.” I gave her a warm smile and watched her walk away. The world around me faded, and then there was nothingness.
****
I didn’t wake up immediately after the dream ended. I just went right on snoozing. There was nothing in it that required me to make notes or to ask further questions. I was actually getting rest for once.
When I woke up in the morning, I felt revitalized, something that I had not felt in quite some time. Somehow Krista’s message about Wesley left me restless though. Knowing he was alive made me happy, but the idea that he was dying a little each day made my heartache even worse.
The day moved on rather quickly. Almost before I knew it, I was in my fourth-period class. Noreen McDonald usually sat in front of me, but for some reason, she wasn’t there that day. Her absence distracted me. She never missed a day of school. It was odd, yes, but I didn’t give it too much thought.
When our fourth-period teacher came in, I sensed at once that something was wrong. Her eyes appeared glazed over, and she was visibly shaken. Her eyes strayed to the empty desk in front of me as if she was expecting Noreen to appear out of nowhere.
“Class!” she
